JR Nino is the Chief Operating Officer for First 5 LA’s Center for Operational Excellence, which serves to review, refine, and improve operational practices foundational to organizational effectiveness and Strategic Plan success. He joined the agency in May 2022 and his overall responsibilities include Finance, Contracts Administration & Procurement, Information Technology, and Facilities.
Prior to First 5 LA, JR has over 20 years of experience being a leader in transforming operations encompassing the people, process, and technology of several organizations that achieved increased organization-wide efficiency, effectiveness, and savings. Most recently he was the Senior Director of Contracting and Procurement with L.A. Care Health Plan which is the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan. Prior to that he was the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Operations at Health Net (now a subsidiary of Centene Corporation a Fortune 25 company) and he was the Director of Technology and Supplier Performance at Anthem (a Fortune 20 company). JR was also a management consultant with top firms as a Senior Consultant at IBM Global Services (formerly PwC Consulting) and an Experienced Analyst at Accenture. He also proudly served his country as a commissioned officer as a Lieutenant with the US Navy.
JR earned bachelor’s degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Florida and in Physics from Jacksonville University through a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship. He also has a MBA from California Lutheran University.
